The Stogie Guys

Spanish for “Free Cuba,” the Cuba Libre brand signifies Nestor Plasencia’s hope of one day returning to a homeland that embraces liberty. Like so many of today’s best cigar makers, he fled Cuba after the Castro regime took over his family’s thriving tobacco operation and confiscated their factories and fields.

With five generations of Cuban tobacco cultivation as a compass, Nestor reestablished the family business in Nicaragua to make use of the fertile Eselí and Jalapa Valley regions. Today his successful factories turn out many Rocky Patel blends, some Gurkha lines, and the Alec Bradley Maxx.

Cuba Libre, Nestor’s take on a value brand, is appropriately made from 100 percent Cuban-seed tobacco. The filler and Nicaraguan binder are covered by a smooth yet veiny wrapper with a reddish hue and a wrinkled complexion.

This cigar is by no means unattractive—the sharp box-press adds character and the red, gold, and blue band is appealing—but something about the appearance compels me to mentally liken it to a typical house brand. Maybe it’s the haphazardly applied cap. Or maybe it’s the prevalence of soft spots from head to foot.

Notwithstanding the Unico’s torpedo-like frame, and despite the fact that I only clipped a bit of tobacco off the top, the pre- and post-light draw is easy. Too easy, if you ask me. The flavors from this six and ¼ inch by 54 ring gauge cigar seemed to be watered down by each airy puff.

When I could sort through the taste in the voluminous tufts of smoke, I found mild- to medium-bodied flavors of earth, leather, and traces of pepper. Some acidic or sweet notes would have helped balance out the predominantly dry profile.

Aside from the hollowed-out draw, the physical properties were excellent—especially considering the price range. Boxes of 20 Unicos go for $75-90, and you can find singles for less than $3 apiece in various online samplers.

That’s ultimately why this cigar makes a decent golf course or barbeque companion: It offers good construction and consistent flavors for little cost. It just doesn’t have enough complexity or personality to be the main event.

Cuba Libre has a compelling story but, in the end, I am neither disappointed nor impressed with the Unico. It earns three stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

The year was 1991. Operation Desert Storm began, the Soviet Union officially came to an end, Michael Jordan led the Chicago Bulls to their first NBA title, and the two Belicoso Finos I smoked for this review were completed and boxed.

It won’t surprise you, given the fact that I was eight years old at the time, to learn that I didn’t age this delicacy myself. As my colleague and I wrote in our review of a 1992 Gourmet No. 2, PG offers specially aged cigars in limited quantities at their headquarters in McLean, Virginia. So, unfortunately, you won’t be able to track down this stick even at the limited B&Ms that carry PG products.

That’s a shame because an 18-year-old cigar (the tobacco is certainly a few years older) that was created by an industry traditionalist and pioneer is a real treat. It also serves as a testament to the patience, quality, and care PG prides itself on to make cigars that look, taste, and feel like pre-Castro Cubans.

The first thing I noticed about this Dominican is the unique cap atop the Ecuador-grown Connecticut shade wrapper. I also couldn’t help admiring the matured Colorado-colored leaf; its dry wrinkles have the look of an antique map.

The initial taste is more aggressive than you’d anticipate, especially given the subtle prelight notes of wood, straw, and a touch of honey. The medium-bodied profile includes flavors of tobacco, steak, cereals, and onion, as well as a unique aftertaste that’s difficult to describe but similar to a Davidoff Gran Cru.

While I could tell you about all the other flavors I identified—including roasted nuts, ginger, and some floral notes—that wouldn’t do this masterpiece justice. You’ll have to make a trip to McLean to try this seriously aged cigar and experience its complexity and balance for yourself.

With laudable construction, this cigar’s only drawback is its $14.50 price tag. But that only amounts to a little over 80 cents per year since it was boxed—not a bad deal considering the value it affords in taste. That’s why, for the 1991 edition of the Paul Garmirian Gourmet Belicoso Fino, I’m fully confident in imparting a rare rating of five stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

As a big fan of the regular Camacho Corojo line, I was excited to review a cigar from one of the Honduras-based company’s ultra premium blends. Unfortunately, my recent experience with three sticks from the Diploma line—a “monster cigar comprised of the finest authentic corojo crop”—left me disappointed.

Also the name of a vitola in the blend, the Diploma features corojo binder and filler tobaccos and, in this case, comes wrapped with a dark and oily maduro wrapper. It’s a classically sized robusto at five inches with a 50 ring gauge, and the three I smoked for this review were very similar across-the-board.

Prelight I found a rich tobacco aroma with a little hint of cocoa. The cigar feels overly soft and spongy from top to bottom and the bunch of tobacco at the foot looks loose. Not exactly what you expect from an $8 cigar.

It lights easily and the initial burn is razor sharp. The draw is too easy for my taste, sort of like drawing air through a straw with no resistance at all. The taste offers up lots of leather with a hint of cocoa on the finish.

At about the one inch mark, the burn starts to go ragged and eventually demands a correction from the torch. Then, at about the halfway point, the leather and cocoa fade and are replaced by woodiness and spice that remain until the end.

All three Diplomas suffered from the same construction and burn flaws and overall the experience was underwhelming. While the flavors were enjoyable they weren’t overly complex, and once the burn problems started they continued through the majority of the smoke. I expect better construction and a little more complexity from the flavors for the money. For that, this high-end offering from Camacho earns only two stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick M

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Regular readers will recall that Cuban Crafters, one of our favorite boutique manufacturers, has a knack for turning out excellent cigars that won’t put a dent in your wallet. The relatively newly released Cupido Tuxedo is a departure from that model—in price not excellence.

Ranked atop the boutique world in 1999 and 2000 before a hiatus, this Cupido Tuxedo incarnation is Cuban Crafters’ take on a super-premium maduro. Unlike the Estelí-made J.L. Salazar, Don Kiki (Brown and White), La Carolina, Cabinet Selection, and Cameroon blends, this line is handmade in the Dominican Republic by Cuban torcedores.

Tuxedo bears no resemblance to the criollo-wrapped Cupido line (of which the Corto viotla remains one of the best sub-$3 cigar experiences I’ve ever had). With a naturally cured habano maduro wrapper and a Dominican and Nicaraguan long-leaf ligero binder and filler, the Tuxedo looks more elegant and powerful.

Each signed and numbered cedar chest of 25 Churchills sells for $180 and prominently features a “Puff the Magic” slogan. Fairly oily with plenty of toothy texture, these seven inch by 52 ring gauge cigars are firm with no soft spots.

The expertly applied cap makes for a clean and easy cut. Once lit, rich prelight notes transition into a hearty taste of coffee beans with a little sugar. The first inch includes a unique sour finish that sets up the taste buds for the sweetness that follows. From there, the flavor wavers from cocoa and coffee to leather, pepper, and cedar.

Of particular interest is that, across the dozen Churchills we smoked for this review, several—those that we smoked immediately after receiving them—had brief periods of biting bitterness. But a few weeks in the humidor completely cured that flaw and improved the taste dramatically.

Regarding physical properties, the draw is good (especially for a cigar of this length) and the burn is exceptional. Don’t let the white ash build off the foot too long, though, or you’ll end up with a lapful.

In the end, while the price isn’t nearly as friendly as other Cuban Crafters creations, we enjoyed this cigar immensely. Given the complex, well-balanced flavors and the obvious quality of craftsmanship, we give the Cupido Tuxedo Churchill four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A & George E

photo credit: Stogie Guys

With a winkled texture, a soft feel, and a few green splotches, I had every reason to be leery of this relatively unknown cigar when I removed it from a Bravo five-pack that was labeled “100% pure gold.” But this Colombian puro—that’s right, Colombian puro—made a real believer out of me.

Blended by Roberto Juarez and Antonio de Jesus, this series is one of five puro blends made by Bravo in the Andean mountain range of Colombia, “the same location as some of the world’s finest coffee beans.” It features an Ecuadoran-seed wrapper, a Connecticut-inspired binder, and a filler with Cuban ancestry.

Handmade by artisans at the Duran Factory in Santander, Colombia, the six inch by 50 ring gauge Toro has a flat, hastily applied cap and a shade-grown look. It sells for about $5 apiece when bought by the box from select retailers. I’ve wanted to try this particular vitola ever since our friends at Keepers of the Flame named it one of the best mild cigars of 2008.

Based on appearance, I was preparing myself for disappointment. This cigar, however, serves as a fine example of why you can’t judge a stogie by looks alone.

After touching flame to the tobacco, the prelight notes of delicate hay give way to a mild taste of cream, toast, and traces of spice. The flavor builds after the first inch to take on oak, vanilla, and honey characteristics.

Where many cigars are bold and boisterous, this Bravo is subtle and patiently delectable. The profile is particularly intriguing, allowing the smoker to discover the complexity on his own instead of hitting him over the head with it.

With an all-around fantastic burn, a well-behaved ash, and a good draw, the experience stays enjoyable to the nub. I noticed little increase in spice and no harshness in the two Toros I sampled.

It’s safe to say I am pleasantly surprised by this mild treat and its uncompromisingly gentle yet intricate aroma. Maybe there’s something about Colombian tobacco. Or maybe the folks over at Bravo really know how to develop excellent cigars. Either way, the Colombian Gold Toro is worthy of four and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

Dubbed 5 Vegas’ “most elusive” creation, the Miami line is handmade by Don Pepin Garcia’s El Rey de los Habanos company. Five of the sizes, including this Torpedo, are made in Pepin’s Tabacalera Cubana S.A. factory in Estelí, while the sixth shape—a thick Toro with a shaggy foot—is made at the company’s factory in Little Miami. But like my colleague pointed out in his review of the Churchill vitola, 5 Vegas oddly makes no mention of Pepin on their website.

This is curious, obviously, because you’d think 5 Vegas would want to highlight any connection to Pepin given the famed cigar maker’s superstar status in the industry. As it turns out, the Garcia most involved with the production of the Miami is actually Don Pepin’s daughter, Janny.

At any rate, the Miami blend’s six vitolas feature Cuban-seed fillers, Nicaraguan binders, and Nicaraguan corojo wrappers. The flavor is touted as “Cuban-esque” in various marketing materials.

With the arrival of prelight hints of dark chocolate and earth out of the cellophane, the Torpedo (6.1 x 52) has the look, smell, and feel of a real winner. The toothy wrapper’s scant veins and virtually invisible seams showcase craftsmanship and care.

In what has almost become cliché to write, read, and smoke, the taste begins with Pepin’s trademark burst of black pepper spice. Not much nuance; just heavy-handed, simple, and predictable.

The flavor undergoes a welcome transition into notes of coffee, onion, and leather after the first inch. While more balanced and less aggressive than the beginning, this new combination isn’t exactly complex or unique. It is, however, significantly more agreeable than the overly bitter taste that dominates the final third of this $6-8 cigar.

Construction across the two Torpedos I smoked for this review wasn’t a problem. The draw is easy, the cut clean, and the burn never requires any touch-ups. I just wish the ash were a little less flakey.

With or without Pepin’s name, this 90-minute smoke is decent but not memorable. Some distinct flavor characteristics or added complexity would have gone a long way towards improving the 5 Vegas Miami Torpedo’s rating of three stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick A

photo credit: Stogie Guys

This review reinforces something we’ve been saying for quite awhile: take advantage of events at you local cigar shops. I probably wouldn’t have tried this gem of a cigar were it not for a La Flor Dominicana shindig at Cigar Connection in Arlington, Virginia.

There, I picked up a specially-priced sampler of a dozen LFD cigars and met Mark Phelgar, an informative abd friendly representative for the company. Included was this 6 and 1/4 inch by 52 ring gauge box-pressed Grand Maduro No. 5 from La Flor’s Premium line—the first line they ever produced. Of all of LFD’s regular production lines, the Premium Line is the one I was least familiar with.

In fact, the two cigars I smoked for this review are the first Premium Line maduros I’ve had, and they’ve done nothing to deter me from smoking more in the future.

The toro-sized No. 5 features a dark, attractive, almost jet black  wrapper that glimmers with an oily sheen. It’s firm to the touch and smooth, except for a few large veins.

Once lit, I’m greeted with a medium- to full-bodied smoke with lots of licorice flavors.  Underneath is a balanced medley that includes hints of sweet grass, toffee, coffee, fig, leather, and black pepper.

Even though the flavors remained relatively constant throughout the hour-long smoke, the complexity is very impressive for a maduro. In my experience, many maduros have a tendency to trade complexity for forward flavors, but no such sacrifice was made here.

The construction was also quite good, with an easy draw, even burn, and a fairly steady ash. The Grand Maduro No. 5 sells for around $8 per stick, so it isn’t a budget smoke. Still, for all it has to offer, that’s a very reasonable price when you consider how many lesser cigars sell for more.

For that combination of complexity, excellent construction, and a fair price, the La Flor Doninicana Grand Maduro No. 5 earns a rating of four and a half stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

–Patrick S

photo credit: La Flor Dominicana